CLEVELAND — Updated: The Boil Advisory issued Monday following a water main break in Middleburg Heights has been lifted for all residents in Middleburg Heights and Strongsville.
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A Boil Advisory has been issued for Strongsville and Middleburg Heights residents after a water main break closed a portion of Engle Road in Middleburg Heights Monday morning.
Cleveand Water says workers at a nearby pumping station noticed a drop in pressure around 2:30 a.m. Monday. Workers found water shooting four feet into the air where the 36-inch concrete water main had burst. Cleveland Water says the pipe was installed back in 1961. Workers aren't sure what caused it to break, although the utility says there have been several reports of leaks in the area in recent weeks.
In a news release, Cleveland Water stated that they depressurized a significant portion of the area in and around Strongsville and Middleburg Heights. Officials said because of the depressurization, there is a possibility organisms that cause illness may have entered the water supply.
RELATED: Water main break closes portion of Engle Road in Middleburg Heights
Customers in the affected areas include south of Fowles Road, west of I-71 and north of Boston Road.
Customers in the affected area include those from Fowles Rd. south, west of I-71, north of Boston Rd., and east of Marks Rd. along the Cuyahoga-Lorain county line. pic.twitter.com/8rXo0pnC3m
— Cleveland Water (@ClevelandWater) January 28, 2019
According to Cleveland Water, residents should do the following:
- DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT FLUSHING AND BOILING IT FIRST. Flush all taps used for drinking and cooking for at least 3 minutes. Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for at least one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.
- Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, are symptoms that can be caused by a waterborne disease. If you experience one or more of these symptoms and they persist, contact your doctor. People with severely compromised immune systems, infants, and some elderly people may be at increased risk. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.
The water main break may cause discolored water and/or potentially temporary increase in lead levels in the drinking water.
The USEPA recommends the following actions to reduce possible lead exposure in drinking water:
- If water has not been used for several hours, run the tap until there is a noticeable temperature drop. Then, run water for 30 seconds to 3 minutes before using it for drinking and cooking. This helps flush water that may have contained lead that may have leached from plumbing.
- Use cold water for cooking, drinking, and preparing baby formula. Boiling the water will not reduce lead. Clean your faucet aerator regularly.
The boil advisory affects an estimated 2,000 homes and businesses. Monday afternoon, some of those businesses, including Starbucks in Strongsville chose to close. A nearby Chik-fil-a shut its dining room.
Just down the street, the manager of Gran Fiesta said workers were doing the best they could.
"It's definitely a pain to be boiling the water, but we have to do it," said Jose Ponce. The family-owned restaurant was serving bottled water, and cans of pop instead of fountain drinks.
"I don't know how much time we're going to be able to open today, but we're trying" said Ponce.
Cleveland Water said workers were collecting water samples Monday afternoon.
"We should get them back, the first round of these samples in about 24 hours," said Alex Margevicius, Commissioner of Cleveland Water. "So sometime tomorrow we should know if it comes back good and if we'll be able to lift the boil advisory."
Several schools are closed in the area because they have no water following the water main break. Find the full list here.
A spokesman for the district said all schools would be open Tuesday. Drinking fountains will be closed-off and food service will not use the tap water, according to the district, so students in affected buildings are asked to bring water to school.
